The National Union of Romanian Hauliers (UNTRR) welcomes the political agreement reached regarding the enlargement of the Schengen Area with Romania and Bulgaria's air and sea borders starting from March 2024, but calls on Romanian and European authorities to also establish a clear date for the enforcement of the Schengen visa-free rules for land borders as well, starting in 2024."Schengen accession is an important and much-awaited step by Romanian passengers and transport operators, which should have been achieved as early as in 2011, when the European institutions found that Romania meets all the technical requirements for admission. Given that all passenger data are at the disposal of air transport operators, the enlargement of the Schengen Area with Romania's air borders could have been accomplished a long time ago. There is obviously no justification of a technical nature for the delay, the reasons are political, the members of the EU club have chosen to punish Romania and Bulgaria and reduce their competitiveness all this time, curbing their development potential. Yet now, Romania's joining the Schengen with the land borders is an emergency for road freight carriers whose efficiency is currently severely penalized through the extremely long waiting times (about 30 - 36 hours daily between Romania and Bulgaria) and for coach operators, in order to avoid the significant administrative burden arising from the new obligations of verifying passenger data in the European EES and ETIAS travel registration and authorization systems starting from next year," UNTRR secretary general Radu Dinescu said, as cited in a release of the organization.According to a report conducted by UNTRR this year on the impact on road freight of Romania being kept out of Schengen, the industry incurred losses of 2.41 billion euros."We request the urgent setting of a definite date for Romania's Schengen entry with land borders too, and if there are certain special requirements, they should be clearly mentioned in order to have a precise reference regarding the accession calendar and the goals to be achieved. The criteria the other members of the EU club want Romania and Bulgaria to fulfill must not exceed the general framework and the technical requirements for admission," said Dinescu.UNTRR representatives point out that the road transport industry, which with 7.66 billion euros in 2022 is Romania's largest exporter of services, is the economic branch most affected by Romania being kept out of Schengen.
Loud screens and noise stress young children and affect their development Sound pollution in Romanian homes affects children's learning, play, and sleep, who are more vulnerable to noise than adults Studies show that children exposed to TV for 2 hours daily are 6 times more likely to experience language development delays Renowned doctor: Experiences actually […]
Estonian cinema will take center stage at the 24th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Focus Estonia program, presenting a curated selection featuring both recent releases and rediscovered classics, screened in restored versions. Among the films to be screened is Moonika Siimets' The Black Hole (2024), a dark sci-fi comedy inspired […]
The ITH Group, which includes the portals Vola.ro, Fru.pl, and GoVola.com and operates in Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria, announced the direct integration of LOT Polish Airlines flights into its own platforms. The collaboration strengthens the group’s position as a regional leader in flight ticket distribution, according to its press release. This will be achieved through […]
In a ruling handed down on Tuesday, May 13, the Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected a request by US authorities for the extradition of a 17-year-old Romanian student. The youth is accused of sending hundreds of bomb threats and manipulating underage girls into engaging in acts of extreme violence, sexual exploitation, and self-harm. Aside from […]
Accor, a global leader in hospitality, has announced the expansion of its presence in Romania by signing a franchise agreement with Amazonia Aquapark SRL for Novotel Timișoara. The newly built hotel is scheduled to open by the end of 2027, marking the brand's first property outside Bucharest and becoming a flagship for Novotel in Eastern […]
A survey published on Wednesday, May 14, by the Open Minds Association shows that Romanians strongly support respect and mutual support in the workplace, signaling that the business environment can play a critical role in supporting social unity. According to the first data set from the “Diversity and Inclusion Barometer,” May 2025 edition, 81% of […]
